OBJECTIVETo express and purify the fusion proteins of glutathione S-transferase (GST)-N-terminal of histone deacetylase4 (HDAC4-N') (1-1952 bp) and GST- C-terminal of HDAC4 (HDAC4-C') (1708-3255 bp) in E.coli.

METHODSThe DNA fragments (HDAC4-N' and HDAC4-C') amplified by PCR were ligated into GST fusion vector (pGEX-6P-1) to construct the recombinant plasmids. After identification with restriction digestion and DNA sequencing, the recombinant plasmids were transformed into E.coli BL21 and induced by IPTG for their expression. After identification by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting, the target proteins were purified by glutathione sepharose 4B.

RESULTSThe results of restriction digestion and DNA sequencing confirmed successful construction of the recombinant plasmids. The relative molecular masses of the fusion proteins were approximately 110500 and 93080 as shown by SDS-PAGE. Western blotting demonstrated that the fusion proteins could be recognized by the specific anti-HDAC4 antibody.

CONCLUSIONWe have successfully constructed the recombinant expression vectors of pGEX-6P-1/HDAC4-N' and pGEX-6P-1/HDAC4-C' and induced the expression of the fusion proteins, which may facilitate functional studies of HDAC4 with other proteins.